If I was Matthew, this would be the Day of all Days

Matthew 21:12-17

Having made my living in sales, I know a little about highs and lows, about expectations that seem so right only to become nightmares.  So it is easy for this salesman to place himself in the story, if I was Matthew, this would be the day of days.  We left Jerusalem last night on the high of all highs, we were not only accepted we were rock stars.  We had spent the night in Bethany, it was about two miles from Jerusalem, and I’m not sure about the others, but I was not able to sleep, my mind kept going back to the best day of my life.  I was a tax collector, and most people hated me, but today they are treating me as if I was a prince.  But also my mind raced ahead to the great expectation of what was to come, I’m sure the others were also excited, what great things will happen tomorrow?

The dawn has come, it was the longest night of my life, and breakfast seemed to take forever, all I want is to hit the road, for today Jesus may be declared king, and He has told us we are heading for the temple.  As we reached the outskirts of Jerusalem the crowds are so excited to see us, well maybe it’s not us so much as Jesus, but they are excited and as we enter the temple, you are not going to believe what Jesus is doing!  This is what I witnessed; “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”  Is this the way you win friends and influence people?  I could not speak, but it sure looked as if things were going south at this point, but then the blind and the lame came to Jesus and He healed them.  It sure looks like the mood of some of the crowd has changed, but then as He healed the blind and the lame the crowd was telling everyone of the great things He is doing, in fact, they were telling the scribes and the chief priest. 

 I’m not sure what is going on with the chief priest and the scribes, it seems they are not upset about Jesus cleansing the temple, but about what the people are saying about Him.  This is my account of what happens next; “But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”  And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.” (Matthew 21:15-17, ESV) 

It is again dark, once more we are in Bethany and I must report my expectations were not met, and once again I cannot sleep, but this time it’s based on fear, my mind keeps going back to what Jesus told us a few days earlier, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”  (Matthew 20:18-19)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice